Gauge for flatwork ironers



June 2, 1 3 F. J. COUCH ET AL GAUGE FOR FLATWORK IRONERS Filed April 5, 1930 Efrain J Caz/M flyfi M abbert INVENTORS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAUGE FOR FLATWORK IRONERS Forrest J. Couch, Cincinnati, and Hugh W. Gabbert, Norwood, Ohio, assignors to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 5, 1930, Serial No. 441,841 8 Claims. (Cl. 265-1) Our invention relates to a gauge for detering roll 1, preferably mounted in fixed bearings, mining the pressure exerted between the roll of a and a cooperating steam chest 2 suitably resilflat work ironer and its cooperating steam chest. iently supported on rock arms 3, one rock arm However, the gauge is not limited to such use being disposed at each end of the chest. The

. and may be adapted to use in determining the rock arms 3 are pivotally mounted on a suitable amount of pressure between any two cooperating supporting frame, as by trunnions 4, and are members. movable upwardly and downwardly to move the In flat work ironers it is important that a prechest 2 into or out of cooperative relation with determined pressure between all parts of the ironthe roll 1 by means of rods 5. Any suitable ing roll and the cooperating steam chest be inmeans may be provided for moving the rods, 5

itially established and later preserved. Heretorock arms and the chest upwardly and downfore, it has been attempted to determine such wardly. pressure by passing a piece of goods between the The steam chest 2 is supported on the rock roll and cooperating steam chest and holding or arms 3 by bolts 6 extending loosely upwardly pulling on the piece of goods by hand. With through ears 7 on the chest and through the rock this method it was only possible to approximatearms 3. Nuts 8, on the screw bolts, provide 1y arrive at the actual pressure between the roll means for adjusting .the chest relative to the and chest. rock arms 3 and springs 8 are disposed between One object of our invention is to provide a the lower surface of the nuts 8 and the upper 20 pressure gauge with which any desired pre-desurface of the rock arms 3 to provide a means termined pressure over the entire working surfor resiliently supporting the chest on the rock faces of a cooperating roll and steam chest may arms and make it possible to have a resilient be initially established. pressure exerted on the roll by the chest when Another object of our invention. is to provide the rock arms'are moved upwardly to the desired 25' a removable gauge that is capable of adjustment position. to respond to and accurately indicate a predeter- The chest 2 is provided with threaded openings mined pressure condition between the ironing 9 at each of the four corners opposite surfaces members. In this instance, a feeler gauge is at the ends of the roll 1 having no padding provided as a means for indicating when such thereon, the remainder of the roll being covered 30 pre-determined pressure between the ironing by a padding 10. Each threaded opening 9 is members has been attained. adapted to receive an extension v11 on a gauge Still another object of our invention is to proframe 12 provided with a threaded opening 13 at vide a simple and durable device that is relaits opposite end in which is threaded a plug 14 tively inexpensive to construct and operate. having a central opening therethrough in which 35 Other objects and various advantageous feamoves a plunger rod 15 having graduations 16 tures may be seen in the following description at its lower end adapted to register with the lower and one embodiment thereof may be seen in the end of the plug 14. The upper end of the plungaccompanying drawing with similar characters 61 rod 15 extends through the openings 9 and conof reference designating corresponding parts, tacts with the surface of the roll 1 adjacent its 40 and wherein; end as shown.

Fig. 1 is an end view showing a flat work ironer Such plunger rod 15 has a threaded portion 1'? roll and its cooperating steam chest, and showintermediate its ends for receiving a nut 18 which ing gauges embodying our invention applied bears against a feeler 23 having a handle 18 and thereto. disposed between the nut and the inner end sur- 45 Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line2-2, Fig. face of the frame 12 adjacent the threaded ex- 1, showing a gauge embodying our invention. tension 11. A set screw 19 provides a means for Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line rigidly securing the nut 18 in any desired position 3-3 of Fig. 2. on the plunger rod and the nut 18 has a radially Fig 4 is a sectional view taken on the line extending annular flange thereon that acts as a 5 4-4 of Fig. 2. bearing surface for one end of a spring 20 sur- Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a modified rounding-the plunger rod 15. The opposite end form of our invention. 7 of the spring abuts against a radially extending In the drawing, we have shown one embodiflange on a collar 21 slidably mounted on the ment of our invention as being applied to a flat plunger rod and bearing against a thrust bear- 55 work ironer of the type consisting of an ironing 22 that rests onthe upper end of the plug 14.

This provides a resilient means for supporting the plunger rod 15.

In the operation of this device, it being assumed that the padding 10 on the roll 1 is of a standard thickness and has a standard resistance to compression, each of the gauges is preferably first adjusted prior to insertion into the openings in the chest, although they may be adjusted after such insertion, so that, when they are disposed in the openings 9 of the chest 2, the upper ends of the plunger rods will extend outwardly from the working surface of the chest at distance approximately equal to the thickness of the padding on the roll.

This adjustment of each gauge is made before it is put to use by loosening the set screw 19 and rotating the plunger rod 15 whereby such rod will move upwardly or downwardly through the nut 18, which bears against a feeler 23 resting against the inner surface of the upper end of the gauge frame 12, until the plunger rod extends the desired distance outwardly from the ironing surfaces of the chest, which distance equals the sum of the thickness of the padding and the thickness of the entire chest from the ironing surface to the shoulder 25 of the gauge. The plug 14 is then adjusted into the lower end of the frame 12 to secure the proper pressure on spring 20 for resisting downward movement of the plunger rod when the ironing members are moved toward or into ironing engagement, such pressure being indicated by the graduations 16.

The respective gauges are then inserted into the threaded openings 9 as far as possible whereupon the rock arms 3 and chest 2 are moved upwardly until the rock arms are in their maximum upward position, which position will remain constant throughout the operation of the machine.

Then the nuts 8' are adjusted until the upward pressure on the chest corners exerted by the springs 8 is equal to the resistance to upward movement of the chest exerted by the four prior adjusted springs 20 in the gauges, or until the pressure on the springs 8 slightly exceeds the resistance of the springs 20, so that the nuts 18 will be moved away from their seats by the springs 8 in overcoming the resistance of the springs 20. Such movement of the nuts 18 may be determined by the feelers 23.

After each of the respective springs 8 has been adjusted so that the upward force exerted by each spring 8 is the same or is slightly greater than the resistance of the respective springs 20, the gauges are removed and the ironing machine operated, the springs 8 being at that time in such adjusted position as to hold the chest 2 in ironing engagement with the roll 1 with an equal pressure over the entire working surface of the chest.

It is customary, in ironing machines including a series of rolls and chests, to have the padding 10 on the respective rolls vary in thickness from the feed end to the delivery end of the machine. Further, in this type of machine it is necessary that the same pressure be exerted between the chest and roll at the feed end of the machine as between the chest and roll at the delivery end thereof. Therefore, a means is provided for adapting the gauges to ironing units in machines in which the padding on the various rolls varies inthickness without disturbing the initial adjustment of the gauges.

With our device, the end of the plunger rod 15 which contacts with the unpadded surface of the roll 1 must always project beyond the pressing surface of the chest 2 a distance equal to the thickness of the padding 10 on the roll and such distance may be varied by moving the shoulder 25 of the gauge towards or away from the under surface of the chest. For this purpose, a plurality of washers or shims 24 of the same thickness are provided which may be inserted between the gauge and chest, as shown in Fig. 2, and, since the padding 10 is usually equally graduated from thick to thin on a series of rolls, a plurality of washers 0r shims 24 all of the same thickness are provided, one, two, three, four, and so on, being placed between the chest and gauges of each succeeding roll set as the padding decreases in thickness.

In Fig. 5 of the drawing, we have shown a modified form of our invention wherein the plunger rod 15 is not adjustable with relation to the gauge frame 12. As shown, the plunger rod has a shoulder 26 thereon adapted to bear against the upper surface of the nut 18, such nut having a tight fit with the plunger rod to prevent the rod from falling out of the frame. However, the remainder of the gauge is identically the same as that previously described.

With this construction, the end of the plunger rod 15 extends outwardly from the shoulder 25 of the gauge frame 12 the same distance at all times and, it being understood that the thicknesses of all chests are identical and the padding is always the same thickness on the same roll but varies on different rolls, the gauge is adjusted so that the end of the plunger rod extends beyond the ironing surface of the chest approximately the same distance as the thickness of the padding on any roll by the use of varying numbers of shims 24 hereinbefore described.

Referring to the drawing, and the preceding description, it will be seen that we have provided a device whereby the upward force of the springs 8 on the chest 2, in addition to the lifting power necessary to support the chest, may be accurately determined and have provided a means for adjusting such springs to have the same degree of upward force over and above the lifting power to support the chest whereby an equal pressure will be exerted between the chest and the roll over all of the pressing surface of the chest. It will also be seen that we have provided a device that is relatively simple in construction and operation and may be removed from one pressing machine and used upon another with equally accurate results.

What we claim is:

1. A gauge for an ironing machine including relatively movable ironing members and means for moving said ironing members into and out of ironing engagement, comprising a movable member carried by one of said ironing members and adapted to bear against said other ironing member, means for resisting movement of said movable member to thereby resist movement of said ironing members toward ironing engagement, means for indicating the resisting force of said movable member, and means for indicating when the resisting force of said movable member has been substantially equaled by said ironing member moving means, to thereby indicate the pressure exerted by one ironing member upon the other.

2. A gauge for an ironing machine including relatively movable ironing members and means for moving said ironing members into and out of ironing engagement, comprising a movable mem ber carried by one of said ironing members and adapted to bear against said other ironing member, means for resisting movement of said movable member and thereby resist movement of said ironing members toward ironing engagement, means for varying the resisting force of said movable member, means for indicating the resisting force of said movable member, and means for indicating when the resisting force of said movable member has been substantially equaled by said ironing member moving means to thereby indicate the pressure exerted by one ironing member upon the other.

8. A gauge for an ironing machine including relatively movable ironing members and means for moving said ironing members into and out of ironing engagement, comprising a movable member carried by one of said ironing members and adapted to bear against said other ironing member, means for resisting movement of said movable member and thereby resist movement of said ironing members toward ironing engagement, means for varying the resisting force of said movable member, means for indicating the resisting force of said movable member, and means including a feeler gauge for indicating when the resisting force or" said movable member has been substantially equaled by said ironing member moving means to thereby indicate the pressure exerted by one ironing member upon the other.

4. A gauge for an ironing machine including relatively movable ironing members and means for moving said ironing members into and out of ironing engagement, comprising a movable member carried by one of said ironing members and adapted to bear against said other ironing member, means for resisting movement of said movable member and thereby resist movement of said ironing members toward ironing engagement, means for indicating the resisting force of said movable member, and means including a feeler gauge for indicating when the resisting force of said movable member has been substantially equaled by said ironing member moving means to thereby indicate the pressure exerted by one ironing member upon the other.

5. A gauge for an ironing machine including relatively movable ironing members, one of which has the major portion thereof padded, and means for moving said ironing members into and out of ironing engagement, comprising a movable member carried by the unpadded one of said ironing members and adapted to bear against an unpadded portion of said padded ironing member, means for adjusting said movable member to conform to the thickness of the padding on said padded ironing member, means for resisting movement of said movable member and thereby resist movement of said ironing members toward ironing engagement, means for indicating the resisting force of said movable member, and means for indicating when the resisting force of said movable member has been substantially equaled by said ironing member moving means to thereby indicate the pressure exerted by one ironing member on the other.

6. A gauge for an ironing machine including relatively movable ironing members and means for moving said ironing members into and out of ironing engagement, comprising a removable casing carried by one of said ironing members, a movable member carried by said casing and adapted to bear against said other ironing member, means for resisting movement of said movable member and thereby resist movement of said ironing members toward ironing engagement, means for indicating the resisting force of said movable member, and means for indicating when the resisting force on said movable member has been substantially equaled by said ironing member moving means to thereby indicate the pressure exerted by one ironing member on the other ironing member.

'7. A gauge for an ironing machine including chests and padded ironing roll members and yielding means for producing pressure between said members, said gauge being carried by one member and. having a contact device projecting toward the other member to be engaged and moved thereby when said ironing members are moved into ironing engagement, said gauge including a spring for resisting movement of said contact device, means adjusting the resisting force of said spring to equal the pressure applied by one ironing member on the other, and means indicating when such resisting force and pressure are equal.

8. A gauge for an ironing machine including chests and padded ironing roll members and yielding means for producing pressure between said members, said gauge being carried by one member and having a contact device projecting toward the other member to be engaged and moved thereby when said ironing members are moved into ironing engagement, said gauge in cluding a spring for resisting movement of said contact device, means for adjusting the resisting force of said spring to equal the pressure to be applied by one ironing member on the other, said gauge having a body portion adapted for removable connection with one of said members, and a feeler gauge member normally clamped by the pressure of said contact device resisting spring against the body portion of said device and adapted to be released when said resisting spring is compressed, to thereby indicate the yielding pressure applied between said ironing members.

FORREST J. COUCH. HUGH W. GABBERT. 

